


Recall

by pedanticsoothsayer



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pedanticsoothsayer/pseuds/pedanticsoothsayer
Summary: Kory struggles when training with an actual lightsaber for the first time.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Might get looped in with a longer piece eventually, but for now just a standalone one-shot.

Kory thought holding a lightsaber for the first time would be a more formative experience. That maybe when they used one something would click and they might actually feel like a Jedi. Adjusting their grip, they wiggled their fingers a bit to try and find the least uncomfortable position to grasp it. They looked back down at the bronze hilt in their hand and ignited it, revealing a luminescent, blue blade. It surely looked like a Jedi’s weapon, even if it didn’t feel like anything special.

 

Lightsabers were bulkier than any vibroblade they’d fought with and they felt half-naked with their left hand empty. They’d tried to explain to Master Vandar that they’d only ever dual-wielded, but the little green gnome had gone off on a lecture about being well-rounded in all aspects of life. They’d spat at him when his back was turned.

 

Across the room, Bastila assumed a precise stance, consistent with the Makashi form, and pulled out a saber of her own. It lit-up with a familiar buzz, but was a single blade, unlike the one she had wielded when they first met on Taris weeks earlier.

 

“It will be just like any other sparring match,” she explained, stepping into the circle between them.

“Except we can cut each others heads off if we miss. Well, more easily.”

Bastila suppressed a smile and shook her head. “Reach out and feel the Force around you, and I promise that will not be an issue.”

 

Kory gave the weapon a few more swings before getting into their stance. The Jedi wasted no time rushing at them, a delicate balance of grace and deadliness Kory couldn’t even imagine pulling off. They blocked the first few hits with ease, hardly losing any ground as Bastila continued her onslaught. For her, each swing was precise and purposeful. How could they ever learn to imitate that? Never mind the years of training the woman had, Kory didn’t even feel right holding the damn thing.

 

They started to slow down and it was obvious. Their reaction time worsened with fatigue. Bastila’s blade was merciless, narrowly missing Kory’s limbs. They could hear Vrook clicking his tongue in the back of their mind as they barely managed to keep their arms from being dismembered.

 

Suddenly, her sparring partner stopped. Bastila shut down her lightsaber and watched them curiously. “Is something wrong?” she asked once it was clear the initiate’s heart wasn’t in it. They could feel her reaching out through their bond. The gesture was starling and strangely comforting, but they drew away.

 

“Just doesn’t feel right. Like I’m trying to fight with a wooden plank.”

“It’s only a practice saber. No one would expect you to feel any connection to it.”

“I thought Jedi weren’t allowed to make connections.”

Bastila pursed her lips, just as she did whenever they had the audacity to question Jedi philosophy. Then, her eyes widened. “A moment, please,” Bastila said and turned on her heels, practically sprinting out of the sparring room.

“I’ll just wait here, I guess,” Kory called after her as she disappeared into another room in the cavernous enclave.

 

They gave the lightsaber a few more swings. It was heavier than they anticipated, but still light enough that they should have been able to wield it like a vibroblade. The balance was different and it was a bit longer, though they’d already started making corrections. Something still felt off.

 

Kory tried not to groan out loud when Bastila returned with Master Vrook. The sour-faced old man carried several lightsabers in his arms, looking just as unpleasant as ever.

“Not sure if any of those will help. Besides, I don’t have that many sets of arms.”

“Haven’t you been listening at all?” Vrook said, acting more like a grouchy curmudgeon than an all-knowing master. “Your lightsaber is an extension of yourself. If you don’t trust in it, how can you trust it to defend you?”

“You will make your own, eventually, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a practice saber that fits,” Bastila added.

  
They gathered around a table in the practice room, where Vrook set the blades down. There were about a half-dozen, each hilt with a unique design. Some were longer, others were narrower, but other than the slightly different aesthetics, Kory wasn’t sure how this was supposed to help.

 

“Is this another test or something?” Kory asked.  
Bastila was stone-faced and Vrook’s mouth twitched. “Must you waste more of our time?” he chided.

Kory rolled their eyes and reached for one of the blades.

“Perhaps, it would be better if you took your time,” Bastila offered, “instead of just grabbing one.”

“Did I pick the wrong one?” Kory asked, confused.

“I didn’t say that. But you should try using the Force to help you decide.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

“Because I could tell,” Bastila said. “Between our bond and my training, how could I not? Honestly, I’m standing right here.”

“Don’t get your ponytails in a twist,” Kory muttered.

 

They stood back and stared at the blades in front of them, having no idea what they were supposed to do. Throughout all of their training so far, using the Force had felt intuitive. It felt natural, almost normal, like they’d always been doing it. Whatever they needed to do to throw a chair across the room or sense the energies of others just came to them. With no other instruction, they scrunched up their face to make it look like they were concentrating and picked up the one they’d just chosen before Bastila had interrupted.

 

The hilt was cool in their palm. It was shorter than the lightsaber they had been practicing with, but thicker. For a moment, they hesitated and worried that it would be uncomfortably large in their hand. As their hand relaxed around the vertical ridges, their grip felt solid. They ignited it and opened their eyes. It was a shimmering purple blade, which was admittedly kind of cool.

 

“This one,” they said, more confident than they’d been in anything since arriving on Dantooine.

Vrook was frowning, but that was normal. He pushed Bastila and Kory back to the center of the circle. “Well, get back to it. I doubt any lightsaber in the galaxy could fix your sloppy form,” he said. Kory couldn’t be sure, but he looked paler than usual.

 

They turned to face Bastila again, reaching out through their bond. Vrook’s demeanor had changed and pressed her if she knew why. Was there something special about this lightsaber?

 

Bastila’s thoughts were clearer in Kory’s head than they had ever been and it was startling. Her presence was warm and familiar, but distant and strange at the same time. ‘It belonged to someone who was lost in the Mandalorian Wars,’ she explained. If she knew more than that, she didn’t say.

 

Now more than a little uncomfortable, Kory turned it over in their palm.

 

‘I’ll try to honor their memory.’ Or something.

 

Bastila nodded and returned to her stance. ‘I am sure you will.’

 

As their duel resumed, Bastila was just as aggressive as she had been before, but Kory found themself keeping up better than they had been. In fact, the only thing that felt off was Vrook’s eyes watching them as they fought. The lightsaber, though only slightly different, made a significant difference. Their yellow and purple blades clashed in an even dance as they worked their way through the sequence, countering each others flurries with ease. It wasn’t until they had driven Bastila to the edge of the ring that they realized they had the upper-hand.

 

Bastila hesitated for only a moment to catch her breath. Seizing the opportunity, Kory disarmed her and sent her practice saber flying across the room. They spun their own lightsaber around in what would have been the final blow, the edge of the plasma stopping just centimeters from Bastila’s neck.

 

Kory grinned and deactivated the practice saber.

“That was... good,” Bastila said, breathing heavily. “I did not expect that. You’re making progress.”  
“Shan, I kicked your ass,” Kory taunted. “Wouldn’t have thought it would have made that much of a difference.”

“Me neither,” Bastila admitted. “But it seems to have been quite the confidence-booster.”

“Something about it just feels right,” Kory continued, examining the blade closer. “Plus, I’m digging the purple.”


End file.
